A camera skid and thrust nozzle assembly for supporting a camera while being positioned in a tubular pipe or conduit spaced. from any wall of the conduit and permitting movement of the assembly along the conduit. The assembly includes a cage rotatably fastened to a high pressure fluid tractor nozzle, wherein the cage can rotate about an axis through the tractor nozzle. A camera support structure is fastened within the cage for rotation of the support structure about the axis independent of rotation of the cage. The camera support structure has a weight attached thereto for urging rotational orientation of the camera support structure within the cage according to a sensed external gravitational force on the assembly.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A camera skid and thrust nozzle assembly comprising: a tractor nozzle; a cage rotatably fastened to and ahead of the tractor nozzle, wherein the cage can rotate about an axis through the tractor nozzle; and a camera support structure fastened within the cage for rotation of the support structure about the axis, the support structure configured to carry a camera in front of the tractor nozzle oriented to view ahead along the axis, wherein the support structure includes a weight for urging rotational orientation of the camera support structure about the axis according to a sensed external gravitational force while maintaining the camera view ahead, wherein the cage comprises: a front cage portion having a cup shape with a central opening through a bottom of the cup shape; a rear cage portion having another cup shape having a bottom and a central opening through a the bottom of the rear cage portion; and a mid cage portion having a cylindrical tubular shape, the mid cage portion being fixed to the rear cage portion.
2. The assembly according to claim 1 wherein the rear cage portion further comprises a tubular bearing sleeve fixed to the bottom of the cup shaped rear cage portion around the central opening.
3. The assembly according to claim 2 wherein the rear cage portion is rotatably fastened to the tractor nozzle by an axle bolt extending through the bearing sleeve.
4. The assembly according to claim 3 wherein the weight structure is a rectangular metal block fastened to an inside surface of the front cage portion.
5. The assembly according to claim 3 wherein the camera assembly is fastened to the mid cage portion between the front and rear cage portions.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
March 14, 2014
October 11, 2016
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